Transportinfo.org.uk - today's transport news in the uk, hand picked for you each morning

Thursday, 10 March 2022

BBC News

• Faulty drainage work blamed for fatal Stonehaven derailmentThree people died when the train hit a landslide in heavy rain in Aberdeenshire in 2020.
• How are ferry problems affecting people on Barra?Islanders say the unreliable service is taking its toll on businesses, jobs and day-to-day life.
• HS2's Euston Station to have bronze or gold-coloured roofArchitects hope the structure will be an
• Greater Manchester bus franchise decision was lawful, judge rulesMayor Andy Burnham approved bringing Greater Manchester's buses back under public control last year.
• Ukraine war: Cost of filling diesel family car hits record £90Diesel prices see their biggest daily jump in two decades as household budgets squeezed by rising energy costs.

Financial Times

• Russian invasion and soaring fuel prices shake airline industry Second crisis in 2 years hits just as sector was starting to recover from pandemic
• Stagecoach agrees rival £595mn offer from DWS in blow to National ExpressBid sends Scottish bus operator’s shares up nearly 40% as board recommends pulling out from planned merger
• Andy Burnham wins legal challenge over bus reform in ManchesterRuling paves way for local authorities to take services back into public ownership

The Guardian

• Wrongly built drainage system led to Stonehaven train crash, investigators findNetwork Rail failed to notice that works by Carillion on Aberdeen to Glasgow line did not match the design. A drainage system wrongly built by Carillion and unchecked by Network Rail led to the Stonehaven train crash, investigators have found, when a Scotrail train hit debris washed by rain on to the railway track.

Times Online

• Stagecoach cancels National Express merger to accept German bid [subscription]The recommendation of a £595 million takeover by DWS Infrastructure, a division of Deutsche Bank, was an appealing offer for Stagecoach’s founders and main shareholders Sir Brian Souter and his sister Dame Ann Gloag.
• Taking back control of our buses will truly level up Britain - Steve Rotheram [subscription]When Margaret Thatcher took the decision to deregulate buses outside of London in 1985, our country was set on two distinct paths. With the power to regulate its own routes and fares, the capital enjoyed a better bus network, which only continued to grow.

Daily Record

• Stonehaven rail crash victims might have survived on a more modern train, report findsThe Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) has made 20 recommendations in its highly critical report into the incident at Stonehaven on August 12 2020.
• Diesel at Scottish forecourts heads to £2 per litre sparking motorist backlashFuel costs rocket by 10p a day at one petrol station chain. Warnings that costs will keep going up.

Birmingham Post

• Bosses and staff urged to comment on planned Leicester Workplace Parking Levy affecting up to 600 firms Council plans would see most employers with more than 10 spaces pay £550 per space per year

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Work completed to make Burley-in-Wharfedale railway station safer and more accessibleNETWORK Rail has completed key work to make Burley-in-Wharfedale station more accessible, improving safety and allowing more people to travel independently.

Bristol Live

• Plan for Bristol's lost railway line to become cycle path set to be refusedAn ambitious plan to turn an empty old railway line into a cycle path through South Bristol is set to be turned down by council chiefs - because they want to use it for a ’multi-modal solution’ to Brislington’s traffic nightmare.

Liverpool Echo

• Work begins on £80 million new Merseyrail stationGround has been officially broken on the landmark project that will create a new station at Headbolt Lane in Kirkby.
• Covid impact could impact new Merseyrail trains rolloutProgress on new rolling stock 'negatively impacted' by Covd-19

Manchester Evening News

• Mayor Andy Burnham hails bus ruling as 'green light' for North of EnglandAndy Burnham has hailed a judge's ruling which allows Greater Manchester to bring its buses under public control as a 'green light' for the North of England. The mayor described the decision as 'vindication' and 'truly fantastic news' which will see a return to a bus service based around people and not profit.

Wales Online

• Barry regeneration project promises new schools, offices, and transport interchangeA report unveiling the £100m regeneration programme is set to be considered next Monday
• Are people in Wales driving less with the cost of fuel continuing to rise?With the average cost of petrol in the UK increasing to 152.9p and diesel prices rising to 158.59p, people are beginning to feel the pinch

Yorkshire Post

• Leeds Bradford Airport: New terminal building plan scrapped following 'excessive' Government delaysLeeds Bradford Airport has today announced it is withdrawing its planning application for a £150m replacement terminal building.

Hull Daily Mail

• The TransPennine Express train made out of a tonne of trash at Hull Paragon stationTransPennine Express (TPE) and Hull artist Andy Pea have unveiled a sculpture made entirely of recycled materials at Hull Paragon Station, ahead of Global Recycling Day.

Other Regional Press

• Fort William train proposal develops head of steam
• First trains could stop at Cullompton station as soon as 2025Work on reopening stations at both Cullompton and Wellington is progressing well, members of Mid Devon District Council's ruling cabinet were told on Tuesday.
• Bus services across County Durham hit by vandalism incidentsA NUMBER of bus services have been taken off the roads due to an increase in anti-social behaviour and vandalism, putting drivers and passengers in danger.
• 'Disgusting' rise sees fuel hit £2 per litre in KentFuel prices have hit an alarming high with one garage in Kent putting prices up to more than £2 per litre.
• New Virgin cruise liner set to dockA brand new cruise ship will be docking will be visible from the Kent shoreline when she docks as part of a grand UK to mark her launch.
• Leamington Spa railway bridge upgrade in £2.4 million projectNetwork Rail aims to make journeys faster and more reliable for residents this summer

New Civil Engineer

• HS2 boss denies cost inaccuracies despite ’whistleblower’ claimsClaims from whistleblowers that HS2 Ltd is hiding the true cost of the project from the Department for Transport (DfT) have been rejected by the project's civils delivery director for Phase One Mike Lyons.
• Severn Estuary tidal energy plan resurfaces due to Ukraine crisisA plan to convert the tidal power of the Severn estuary into energy is being reconsidered due to the need to find oil and gas alternatives following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
• Carillion’s botched earthworks blamed for fatal Stonehaven derailmentBotched drainage construction undertaken by Carillion has been blamed for the Stonehaven derailment which killed three people in August 2020.
• Contractor named to transform disused Manchester viaduct into sky parkMC Construction has been appointed by National Trust to carry out the £1.8M transformation of a disused Manchester viaduct into an urban sky park.

Rail Business Daily

• Cheshire leaders show cross-party support for Crewe Great British Railways headquarters bidLeaders of the four main political groups on Cheshire East Council have united to pledge support for a bid to bring the Great British Railways headquarters to Crewe.
• Blackpool North goes big, bold and colourful with its station’s new entrance artBlackpool North is providing a bold, colourful welcome to passengers arriving at its station.

Railnews

• Revised plans unveiled for HS2 Euston WEDNESDAY BRIEFING: Revised plans unveiled for HS2 Euston ++ Major upgrade to Derby depot begins ++

Railway Gazette

• Welsh hydrogen train study underwayUK: A study has been launched to assess the viability of using hydrogen fuelled trains to replace diesel traction in Wales.

Other News Sources

• Bids for Great British Railways headquartersCrewe and Preston are bidding to become the home of the headquarters of a new public body in charge of Britain's train services.
• Union urges withdrawal of HSTs after crash reportA trade union has called for the ageing fleet of High Speed Trains(HSTs) to be taken out of service following the report on the Aberdeenshire rail tragedy.
• Greater Manchester gets green light to franchise busesIt’s all systems go for the Bee Network, which will provide a London-style public transport system to the city region, after a judicial review found in favour of the scheme.